Canada fines two air passengers for false Covid-19 tests

Passengers wait to be tested after they arrive at Toronto's Pearson airport in Canada on Feb 15, 2021. PHOTO: REUTERS

MONTREAL (REUTERS) - Canada has fined two passengers for presenting a false or misleading Covid-19 test before boarding a flight to the country, the first time travellers have been hit since the introduction in January of mandatory pre-departure negative tests, the Canadian transport regulator said on Thursday (Feb 18).

One of the passengers was fined C$10,000 (S$10,400) while the other was fined C$7,000 for falsifying the Covid-19 test when they travelled from Mexico on Jan 23, Transport Canada said in a statement.

The travellers also made a false declaration about their health status before boarding a flight to Canada, after having tested positive for novel coronavirus a few days before the flight, the regulator said.

More countries, like Canada, are introducing mandatory Covid-19 test requirements for travellers.

Canada already has some of the toughest travel rules in the world aimed at preventing the spread of the coronavirus, including a mandatory 14-day quarantine.

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